The tipping point
by Maximum Ride 000
Summary: Matsumoto decides that it's about time that Hitsugaya takes a break from all the paperwork. Mentions of Aizen. This is a tribute to the movie The Diamond Dust Rebellion, but it contains NO spoilers for the movie. Couls be seen as strong friendship.


**Hello there. I recently watched ****The Diamond Dust Rebellion**** and I absolutely loved it. So this fic is a tribute to that awesome movie (no spoilers for the movie though). I hope you enjoy. Please R&R, flamers will be laughed at.**

**If I owned Bleach then Hitsugaya would be the main character and it would rain in Hueco Mundo. So guess what? That's right. I don't own Bleach.**

Toshiro Hitsugaya was on the verge of tears, not that the strong-willed teen would ever admit to it. It had been three days since his fight with Momo and Aizen, three _LONG_ days. Since Momo had become comatose, due to Aizen's betrayal, Toshiro had volunteered to do all of fifth division's paperwork on top of his own and Rangiku's. Rangiku hadn't been in to the office since Aizen's betrayal, but Toshiro didn't have the heart to be angry at her. He hadn't eaten or slept since then, far too busy filling out paperwork. Frankly, he didn't want to stop the paperwork because it was keeping some very unwanted emotions at bay. He knew some of the other captains were watching him with growing concern. Captain Unohana had come into his office the previous day and had expressed her concern at his lack of sleep. He had simply thanked her for her concern and continued on with his work. With the sun setting over Seretei, Toshiro felt his strength begin to wane, but he refused to stop the frantic scratching of his pen as he filled out another useless form. He looked up sharply when he heard his office door open, fully prepared to yell at whoever was going to interrupt him this time. He opened his mouth to begin his rant, but stopped short when he saw who the intruder was. Matsumoto smiled at her captain, though the expression was full of obvious concern. "Hello Matsumoto." Hitsugaya whispered softly, almost afraid to raise his voice any louder.

Matsumoto laughed lightly, an action that startled Toshiro, "Captain Unohana was right, you do need a break." she said calmly as she moved closer to him, studying the overworked teen.

"I don't need a break, I need to finish my work." he growled.

She knelt down beside him, lowering herself to eye level, her expression skeptical. "You can either stand up and come with me, or I can carry you. Those are your only two options." She said, calmly holding his exhausted gaze.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to finish this paperwork." he said, shifting his eyes back to the stacks of paperwork in front of him. Matsumoto sighed before she stood, still facing her captain. She reached down and picked him up, pulling him gently against his chest. He struggled slightly against the rather undignified position before he gave up, lacking the strength to free himself from her grip. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to relax. Matsumoto smiled down at her captain as she quietly carried him out of the division headquarters. As soon as she was outside, she shunpoed to her house. She easily shifted the light teen as she pulled open her door. As she walked into her house the boy shifted slightly, reclaiming consciousness. She set him down gently on the couch as he continued to wake up.

"Welcome back captain." she said, smiling softly as he opened his eyes.

He blinked at her, his expression clearly confused, "Matsumoto? Where….?" He trailed off in a hoarse whisper.

"You're at my house", she explained calmly, "I told you, you need a break. I knew you wouldn't take one unless I forced you to." Hitsugaya sighed and closed his eyes, feeling the emotions previously held at bay by the looming threat of paperwork rush through him. He felt the couch shift under him as Matsumoto sat down beside him. He fought to keep his eyes closed, afraid that they might betray his well-kept emotions to her. "I'm sorry captain." she said quietly.

HItsugaya's eyes shot open in surprise. He couldn't believe it, she had been through so much in the past few days and she was still apologizing to him. "What for?" he asked, barely stopping his voice from cracking as the urge to cry slammed into him for the second time that night.

"I'm sorry that I haven't been there for you." she said. He opened his mouth to contradict her, but she cut him off before he could speak. "Toshiro, I could never doubt your strength so please know that it's okay to be weak around me sometimes." she finished softly. As she watched him quietly, he began to tremble violently, his vision blurred, and he struggled to keep his breathing in check. Without his permission a strangled cry ripped itself free from his lips. Matsumoto watched as Toshiro's cry broke the dam surrounding his emotions and years of pent up rage, fear, and uncertainty flowed freely from the young boy. She pulled him toward her so that he was sitting in her lap. She gently rubbed his back as she rocked back and forth letting the teen cry. It ripped at her heart to hear him cry, but she felt relief in the knowledge that he was allowing her to comfort him. After awhile his sobs turned into sniffles, but he made no attempt to extricate himself from her. After a few moments he wrapped his arms around Matsumoto's waist and gave her a light hug. She smiled lovingly at him before placing a gentle kiss on the tops of his head. "Get some sleep Toshiro, you've earned it." she said calmly. He placed his head on her shoulder and was asleep within minutes. Matsumoto smiled at the gentle, even rhythms of his breath, glad that she was still able to watch his back.

**Thanks for reading this story. I hope you liked it. I talked to Toshiro and he said that if you left me a review that he would be happy. Think of Toshiro, leave me a review.**

**~Maximum Ride 000**


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